Kevin and The Cat Doctor Part 2

Hello, I’m Dr. Jane Matheys from The Cat Doctor Veterinary Hospital and Hotel in Boise, Idaho. Today I’m answering some questions from the Facebook page of Pets Best Insurance. Also, we are continuing our series that we call “Kevin and the Cat Doctor”.

Some questions here from Kevin. The first one, “The animal shelter insists on fixing my kitten before I can take her home. Is it really that safe at such a young age?”

Yes. The shelters are very good at doing these early-age spays and neuters on the kittens. There are a few more possible complications because the kittens are so young and so little, but done with the proper anesthesia and proper monitoring of the anesthesia, it is very safe and we have good results. Most importantly, it assures that the cats will no longer be able to reproduce and it can really help to reduce our problem of pet overpopulation.

Next, Kevin asks, “I got my cat chipped for her protection, but do the RFID implants have any long-term negative health consequences?”

I’m happy to say that no, we have not seen any problems with those microchip identifications. It is a very good way to permanently identify your kitty-cat in case she gets outside or lost. I do highly recommend them for all cats.

Then, Kevin asks, “My cat will tell me when she’s happy and when she’s mad, and even when she’s sad, but why not when she’s sick?”

Actually, Kevin, your kitty does tell you when she’s sick. We sometimes just don’t notice it. The signs can be very subtle, so it’s really best to watch your cat carefully. Know what your cat’s normal behaviors are so that you’re more likely to be able to identify when she’s acting differently.

Some of the main things that you want to look for to indicate that she might be ill are backing off on her food, not eating as much or if she totally stops eating. Another thing to watch for is any type of weight loss. Sometimes if they are pulling away from you, hiding or not interacting with you as much anymore, that can also be an indication that she’s feeling ill. You want to, of course, be looking for things like a smelly mouth, odors, diarrhea, vomiting, and things of that sort.

Cats are pretty stoic and they can often hide their illnesses very well. You have to pay close attention to what your kitty-cat is doing so you can identify problems early and get her to your veterinarian.www.petsbest.com

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marketing and administrative affiliates that has been providing life, health, disability, medical stop-loss and specialty insurance solutions
to groups and individuals for over 30 years. For information on The IHC Group, visit: http://www.ihcgroup.com.